Ricotta orange and lemon castagnole with or without Thermomix are a carnival sweet that everyone will surely love. These are very soft fried sweets, flavored with orange and lemon zest, which give these ricotta castagnole a truly unique taste.
The recipe is really simple to execute, there are no particular procedures or steps, you don’t need specific appliances to knead these very soft castagnole. Just mix all the ingredients together and the dough will be ready to fry!
I made them with the Thermomix, but you can use any stand mixer, a food processor, or electric whisks. A bowl and a spoon will also do! So, you have no excuse not to make them! They are easy, they are fast, they are fragrant and very soft…they only have one flaw: you can’t stop eating them, and they finish too quickly!
I love this kind of sweet because in no time you get a dessert for a snack or a dessert that pleases everyone, just like spoon castagnole and 4 jars castagnole. Yes, they are fried sweets, but after all, Carnival comes once a year, and if eaten occasionally, frying is not so harmful to our health. The important thing is to follow a few simple tips on how to make a perfect fry to get soft, dry, and delicious ricotta castagnole!
A tip for the more gluttonous: if you want to make them even better, you can fill them or serve them with a velvety custard with two eggs or chocolate, but they are also delicious simply dusted with powdered sugar.
Well, now let’s get to the recipe and see together how to prepare these delicious ricotta orange and lemon castagnole with or without Thermomix! In the procedure, you will first find the traditional method and then the one with the Thermomix.
Before leaving you to the recipe, however, I leave you with some more delicious Carnival sweets that cannot be missed this season!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 435.99 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 53.01 (g) of which sugars 26.47 (g)
- Proteins 8.05 (g)
- Fat 20.83 (g) of which saturated 3.99 (g)of which unsaturated 15.76 (g)
- Fibers 1.08 (g)
- Sodium 41.58 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare Ricotta Orange and Lemon Castagnole with or without Thermomix
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cups cow's milk ricotta
- 1/2 to taste lemon zest (grated from half a lemon)
- 1/2 orange zest (grated from half an orange)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 shot glass limoncello
- to taste sunflower seed oil (preferably high oleic)
- to taste vanilla powdered sugar (to dust the castagnole)
Tools
- Bowl
- Electric whisks
- Frying pans
- Slotted spoon
Preparation of Ricotta Orange and Lemon Castagnole with or without Thermomix
Preparing the ricotta orange and lemon castagnole with or without Thermomix is really easy.
You can use any tool at your disposal, be it the Thermomix, a stand mixer, or a food processor. If you don’t have any of these, you can even knead by hand, simply with a bowl and a spoon. Let’s first see the traditional procedure.
First of all, grate the zest of half an orange and half a lemon (preferably organic), which you have previously washed thoroughly and dried with a cotton cloth. According to your taste, if you like the citrus aroma, you can also increase the amount of orange and lemon in the recipe.
Put them in a bowl and add the well-drained ricotta and sugar. Work with a fork or electric whisks until you get a cream. Add the eggs, limoncello, and then the flour and baking powder. Knead for 1-2 minutes until you get a very soft and homogeneous mixture. At this point, the dough is ready, and you can proceed with frying.
Take a heavy-bottomed pan and put plenty of sunflower seed oil, preferably high oleic. Heat very well before you start frying your ricotta orange and lemon castagnole.
To check if the oil has reached temperature, you can drop a tiny amount of dough: if it immediately floats to the surface and forms many bubbles around the dough, the oil is ready.With the help of two spoons, take a small portion of dough (slightly less than half a tablespoon) and try to give it a rounded shape before immersing it in the oil. I suggest making them quite small, both because they puff up during frying and because you might find them raw inside.
For optimal results, fry at medium or low heat a few castagnole at a time. This way, you can be sure they will cook perfectly. If you notice that the castagnole darken too quickly, it means the oil is too hot, so lower the heat and wait a few seconds before resuming frying.Fry a few castagnole at a time, turning them often with a slotted spoon until they are well golden. Then place them on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Once cold, arrange them on a serving plate and dust them with plenty of powdered sugar.
Now let’s see how to prepare the soft ricotta castagnole with the Thermomix. It’s really simple.
Put the lemon zest, orange zest, and sugar in the bowl: chop 10 seconds speed 10. Gather at the bottom with the spatula.
Add all the other ingredients, except for the baking powder: knead 1 minute speed 4-5.
Finally, add the baking powder and work for another 30 seconds speed 4-5.
Put the dough in a bowl and proceed with frying.
Heat plenty of sunflower seed oil in a pan or deep pot and let it heat up.
With the help of two spoons, take small amounts of dough and gently place them in the oil, trying to give them a rounded shape.Fry a few ricotta castagnole at a time over medium-low heat. Turn them often with a slotted spoon to have an even cooking. When they are well golden, remove them with the slotted spoon, let them drain well from excess oil, and place them on a tray covered with absorbent paper.
Once cooled, place them on a serving dish and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Your castagnole are ready to be enjoyed in all their goodness.
Storage and Notes
– Ricotta lemon and orange castagnole can be stored in a tightly closed container or a tin box for 24-48 hours. In reality, they last even longer, but, as with all fried foods, they are best freshly made. Therefore, I recommend consuming them within a short time.
– Instead of powdered sugar, you can also roll them in granulated sugar. In this case, however, you must do this while they are still hot.
– You can replace the citrus zest with vanilla or vanilla extract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use lactose-free ricotta?
Yes, if you have intolerance issues, you can also use lactose-free ricotta.
Can castagnole be cooked in an air fryer or oven?
In theory, yes, they can be baked at 350°F in the oven or 320°F in the air fryer for about 20 minutes, but obviously, you won’t have either the rounded shape or the same consistency as a fried castagnole.
